Your father's cars

My dad used cars as an appliance but the ones that I sat in as a small boy still have a place with me. First that I recall was 1953 Pontiac in forest green. It was a 6 cylinder base model. I recall driving on an early cloverleaf in that car and the words my dad said about the confusion. I tried to buy one like it when I was 17 but the owner traded it for $100. Next was a nearly new 1956 Buick Special automatic in white and light blue two tone with automatic and other options. Dad was hit by someone running a stop sign that and killed my grandfather in the passenger seat and wrote off the car. Next was a very long 1959 Pontiac Strato Chief base model in dark green. I drove this car. Next was a 1966 Envoy Epic that I drove a lot. It had a nifty 4 speed and BLMC motor with no power. It was worn out in 5 years. Last before I left the home was a 1970 Chevrolet Nova base model that I drove. He wanted no power steering and ordered that specially. It was a mistake. I had it undercoated so it lasted for 10 years. Then he got an automatic Chevette in 1979 after he gave the Nova to my brother. I got the Chevette about 1988 after it was long past its prime if it ever had one.

Cheers Ron

He had a 62 Austin Healey 3000 and a 65 T-Bird. Sold them both and bought a new 1972 Pinto when we got our drivers licenses! We did have a good time with the Pinto.

As a very small child, my dad was posted to Germany with the Canadian Airforce and in 1956 bought a VW bug convertible in Germany and brought it back to Canada. Bugs were rare enough back then but this may have been one of the first convertibles in Canada, if not all of North America because at the time VW was only selling hard tops in N.A. as far as I know. Dad bought a 1961 Corvair followed by a new 1965. So I have a lot of found memories of air cooled rear engined cars that aren't Porsches.

My mom had an Austin Mini 850 in the late 60's which was the car I first learned to drive on along with the 65 Corvair. I bought my first car in 1971 at age 19, a 68 Triumph Spitfire MK3 which was the first conventional front engine/rear drive car I ever drove.

Pop's first car was a 1928 Ford Model A Tudor. He had a '28 Roadster Pickup for parts.

My Dad has always been an enthusiast, and when I look back, that is probably what got me started. He had an MGA while in college, but it was stolen. (Providence- class of 66)

With the insurance $$ be bought a ratty Jag XK 150, but Dad, while a driver, isn't a wrench. The combination of the ratty Jag and his non-mechanical aptitude made for a bad combo. My Mom still tells the story of how the car's brakes went out during an early date....they had to slow down by driving across people's lawns! After the Jag rusted away, he kept the drivetrain. I remember being 4 or 5 yrs old and peeking under the "forbidden" tarp in my Grandmother's garage to reveal the gleaming straight six, with the "growler" shift knob. This is one of my first automotive memories.

He then had a string of VW's Rabbits, Mk1 Scirocco, Jetta GLI, and then switched to Toyota with a string of Supras. Then in 1997 he bought the M3 I know own. http://grassrootsmotorsports.com/project-cars/1997-bmw-m3/ He now drives (and enjoys) a slightly modded supercharged MINI Cooper.

thanks Dad!

My Dad was a 'car guy' his whole life. The one car that sticks with me the most was a 1962 Ford Galaxie 500 that we ordered from the factory when we lived in Colombia [South America]. Evidently 'export models' were quite different than the cars made for sale in the United States. Although it was the Galaxie 500 4 door body, it had the export police package that included a 'M Code' 390 [340 hp w/3 2bbl carbs] that was only a Thunderbird option in the states. We didn't bring it home with us and I've never run across another like it.

A Buick wagon with a 425 cube motor replaced it when we got home and that was replaced with a tri-power Pontiac Catalina wagon. I love hot rod station wagons.

From the stories my dad has told and pictures he has shown me, it is no wonder I am a car nut.

Here is his history, as far as I can remember. These are some he had in England before he immigrated to the States.

His first car was a Renault Dauphine Gordini. He said he and his buddies cut the springs, put a "Monza" exhaust (that would eventually fall off and slide into an on-coming car), and gutted it to be a racer for the street.

His next car was a 1950s era Jaguar sedan (will need to ask him which one). He said, there was hole in an oil supply line that would seep oil onto the headers. So wherever he went, there was a cloud of smoke. He eventually hydroplaned into the back of a cop car.

When he immigrated to the States, first car he bought was a 1969 Plymouth RoadRunner. He cut the springs, put meaty tires on it, hood pins, flat blacked the hood, fake spoiler on the back, everything he could do to replicate a cup car. He said the cops scared him enough to sell it.

From there, he had a collection of Pintos, Escorts, Fiats, Alfas. I remember us having a Fiat 124 Spider, Fiat X1/9, Alfa Romeo GTV he converted to a racecar, Lancia Scorpion, Jaguar XJS. He even got a 1957 Chevy Bel Air that needed a restoration job!

When he started working for Ferrari of Beverly Hills, he was able to get a Ferrari 348 TB Speciale. Dropped me off to elementary school a couple times in it. Kids my age were too young to care. He eventually sold it, got a Chevy Suburban for my mom (I had 5 other siblings!) and kept the rest of the money.

A collection of Suzuki Swift GTIs, Dodge Dakota, a 1995 BMW M3 Lightweight for a couple of months (waiting on funding for building it into a IMSA Endurance GS car), another 1969 RoadRunner.

When we moved to Georgia, he got a Dodge Avenger with the V6, a Neon, then getting another Suzuki Swith GTI and a Mitsubishi Lancer RalliArt. Right now, he has a Caterham 7 he is restoring as well as an Ultralight airplane he is building and restoring his Laverda Montjuic 500..

My dad was not a car guy but I remember our '61 Plymouth wagon, 6 cylinder. Terribly underpowered and it showed when trying to pass (two lane road, of course) and always had a hard time getting around the slower vehicle. One time we had to take to the ditch on the opposite side. From that point on, my dad says "next car will have a V8".

My father was not really a car guy. He liked them well enough, but never had the mechanical aptitude to get involved with them. He always joked I got my mechanical ability from his father, not him.

He occasionally spoke of some the cars from his youth, but details are fuzzy. I only remember him mentioning a Beetle and a 60's Ford Fairlane. He had a DUI before I was born and didn't drive at all from the time I was born in 1970 up until he got a teaching job in 1978. He then bought a '78 Datsun F10 with a 5 spd. He was enough of a "car guy" to want a manual transmission. He had that car up until my parents split in '88 and he moved to Virginia where it died a few years later and replaced with various crap cars he could get for cheap or was given.

My parents still drive cool cars: BMW 3 Series, Mazda MX-5 and a Nissan 240SX. Still wish they never got rid of their '67 GTO, though.

My parents still drive cool cars: BMW 3 Series, Mazda MX-5 and a Nissan 240SX. Still wish they never got rid of their '67 GTO, though.

David S. Wallens wrote: My parents still drive cool cars: BMW 3 Series, Mazda MX-5 and a Nissan 240SX. Still wish they never got rid of their '67 GTO, though.

Wow David, are you really that young? My first new car was a '66 Catalina 2+2 and I sometimes think that was only a week or so ago.

Rupert

My Dad was not really a car guy. He did have a Corvair he loved but Ralph Nader never warned my uncle that drinking and corvairs do not mix.............rammed a tree, my Dad said it was cross eyed, headlights starring at each other. He also had a 67 Impala SS but there was the Maverick, Regal, Dodge Pick up, Plymouth 600 (K-Car) thingy and the Lumina. We did forgive him for the Plymouth Scamp (Dart) it was known as the wonder car, he'd drive it down dirt roads...........we once shocked folks while spectating at the Mint 400, the section of course we were spectating on was 3 miles from the paved road and up on top of a rocky hill.

        Tom

My dad had a 58' MGA that he sold when I was born in 60'. My Mom use to drive it to the school she taught at and her students thought it was the coolest thing around back in the late 50's. He moved onto several sedan's in the early 60's before buying a 68' Vette with a 427/390 motor in it. I still remember my Mom driving my younger brother and I around in it before child seats became the norm. He moved on to a 70 Toronado that rusted out in 3 years before acquiring a 73' Grand prix SJ with a 455 in it. It became the car I got my license in and went on many of dates in that thing. Next was a 76' Sedan DeVille which became one of many caddy's he's owned until Government Motors took the bailout and he said "no mas". His last sportscar was a 85' Vette and 57' T-Bird which are long gone and he's since moved onto Suburbans, mini-vans etc . for my Mother and finally bought his first Lincoln several years ago. At nearly 80's years of age, I think his days of driving a sportscar are over but I still try to convince him to give the C6 Vette's a chance so who know's?

Dad loved all mechanical things, rather than cars specifically. My mechanical aptitide definately comes from my Dad. The one car that Dad brought home that I actually wanted was a 65 Valiant with a 273 V-8/4 spd, The car was yellow with black half roof and black interior. I still remember the day when I was 5, and Mom & us kids were walking down the road when Dad pulls up in this cool looking car he had just bought. The hubcaps were off the car so the black steelies gave it a bit of a 'hot rod' look, and the v-8 burbling through a dual exhaust made the right sounds. At that tender age it seemed as Dad had bought a souped up car. Of all the cars he brought home over the years, it is the one that I would love to have today.

My Dad keeps his cars forever, but he started me in all of this. My earliest memories are of a '57 Beetle and a '62 Karman Ghia. He traded the Ghia for a new '67 Mustang, eventually trading it in on a 240Z when they came out. It took almost a year to get one. You had to get on a waiting list and didn't have a lot of color choices. It was white with a red interior. I always wondered what happened to it. It was sold in '78.

From there came a 280Z, a Datsun 810 and an '83 280ZX eventually all owned at the same time. There was also an original Camry sometime in the early '80's...and then came the BMW's. With the exception of a Grand Cherokee in the mid '90's to compliment the other BMW's, it's been a series of BMW's since. He just ordered a new 3 Series and is waiting on delivery. His current car is a 5 series and they also have a X5.

I should preface that I might be "young" considering some of the cars I see listed. And that my dad was in the Air Force so we lived all over the world and not too many cars stuck around for a long time.

My dad wasn't very mechanical but he did have some cool cars over the years. Right after he got out of college before he got his first duty station with the Air Force he had a 1973 Triumph TR6. My mom drove a 60's VW bug at that time. My dad went overseas for his first duty station, my mom stayed stateside and didn't need 2 cars, so he told her to sell one. She sold the TR6. Grrr. Then a little while later sold the VW for a 72 Monte Carlo. Grrr. The Monte Carlo was yellow and HUGE! There's an old pic and my mom looks like a little kid standing next to the Monte Carlo.

Then they went to Germany and got a mid to late 70's Fiat sedan. I have no idea what that car was and have not found any pictures of it. That was the car they had when I was born and they brought back to the states with them. As a kid, I rolled of the seat one time, (no seatbelts), and cut my hand on the seat rail. I needed stitches and still have a scar.

In the attempt for the redneck trifecta, during the early 80's he was stationed in Little Rock AR, had a bought new 82 Camaro, an 84 Dodge Caravan, and a 66 Chevy truck. Sadly no mullet. I loved the truck. We named it Willie since it had an 8 track and he only had Willie Nelson and James Taylor. It also had a cloth woven seat cover. If I ever get the chance I will own another Wilie. I also remember the Camaro. It was a manual, and it had black vinyl seats. They were soooo hot in the summer, my legs would stick to them. The doors on the Camaro were huge, I used to have to put both feet on the door to kick it open, and then my pops would yell at me for putting my feet on the door. I remember getting in trouble for trying to slid in the window like the Dukes of Hazard.

Moved to VA, sold Willie before we moved. In 88-89ish purchased a 73 VW from the original owner. In 91 the VW was shipped to Turkey and was our family car for the years he was stationed there. In 93, it was shipped to Belgium and was our family car there. In Belgium is where he taught me about cars. Little things like changing the oil, changing tires, basic stuff. In 96, it was shipped back to the states and they still own it. A few years ago I started to restore the VW for him and then we moved, so it is still a work in progress. I did get all the rust taken care of and the rear pan section replaced. It ran when I dropped it off, but it still needed a lot more body work.

They've had multiple other cars come and go through the years. He currently drives a Nismo edition 4 door Frontier, which I never even knew they made, and my mom drives a new Jeep Wrangler 6spd. The VW is currently tucked away in their garage waiting for me to get it finished.

So even though he didn't do a lot of wrenching on cars. I can totally blame him for my addiction to buying cars that are 20+ years old.

I think the reason I'm a car nut is the fact that my family had awful taste in cars. Dad's first car, a 51 Buick Special, was given to him. His friend gave it to him after it was stolen, then recovered. In the meantime he had bought a replacement.

Next was a 61 Rambler Classic, a Corvair (well, we got close), Rambler American station wagon, AMC Hornet wagon, Pontiac Catalina wagon, Volvo 162(?), 3 Honda Accords, Ford LTD, Ford Taurus, awww geez... The list goes on.

Rupert wrote:

David S. Wallens wrote: My parents still drive cool cars: BMW 3 Series, Mazda MX-5 and a Nissan 240SX. Still wish they never got rid of their '67 GTO, though.

Wow David, are you really that young? My first new car was a '66 Catalina 2+2 and I sometimes think that was only a week or so ago. Rupert

Um, I guess.

My dads 1970 Torino was a favorite..

I'm the second oldest and my Dad had one of these; 1948 Town & Country 'vert.

When the tribe grew to 7 kids, he traded up for a 1958 Mercury Voyager.

Still my favorite car. You can find 57s and 59s all day long, 58s?

My father's first car was a 1965 Plymouth Barracuda with the 273. When I was born he had a 1971 Dodge Charger with a 318. He sold it about six months after I was born to get a Honda that only lasted a few years. Most of the cars after that had been appliance type cars. As with Series 6, I think the way he had a lot of boring cars when I was growing up got me into being a gearhead, as I wanted something less boring and the only way to do that on a teenager's budget meant it would be something I'd have to wrench on.

But lately he's started getting into Jeep Cherokees. He's into hunting and wanted something a bit easier to take on a trail than trying to go off roading in a Dodge Caravan or Escort station wagon.

914driver,

That picture reminds me of my Mother's 58 Chevy wagon. 2 tone white over turquoise. I always hoped my friends didn't see me in the back seat of it.

My Dad had a TR4a with a solid rear axel. Mom says she used to drive me around in it when I was cranky...And Im still like that...except now I drive!

Leo

My dad bought a 2-tone red/white brand new 1955 Oldsmobile 88 Holiday Coupe. He was pretty serious raising us And didn't say a lot about his cars and when I was older I found out he put dual glass packs on it and got a ticket for putting yellow fog lights behind the grill. He still talks about that car.